Ironing and pressing appliance



A. C. PURPURA IRONING AND PRESSING APPLIANCE Apr il 9, 1963 Filed May 29, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet-l Irzz/rz Z01 April 9, 1963 A. c. PURPURA IRONING AND PRESSING APPLIANCE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 29, 1959 y Ink/012501 April 9, 1963 A. c. PURPURA IRONING AND PRESSING APPLIANCE 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed May 29, 1959 rates Unite The invention relates to a new and novel ironing and pressing appliance that can be used in the home. Heretofore, ironing and pressing machines have been confined exclusively for use in commercial establishments such as laundries and cleaning and pressing shops.

It is a well known fact that ironing and pressing, especially when hand sad-irons are used, is a tedious, time consuming and laborious household chore. It is, therefore, the purpose of the present invention to eliminate as much as possible the use of the hand sad-irons in the home by making it possible to iron articles as small as handkerchiefs or as large as bed sheets with ease and with the mini mum of effort on the part of the housewife.

Another object of the invention is the design of a pressing appliance that can be used for either steam or dry ironing and one that does not require high steam pressure.

Another object of the invention is the design of a press ing and ironing appliance that will require very little effort on the part of the housewife to operate, and that will require no continuous lifting.

A further object of the invention is the design of a thermostatic control that can be set by the operator to ob- U' liil any temperature required for ironing various materia s.

Another object of the invention is the design and construction of an ironing and pressing appliance having a pivoted electric heated sole plate for swinging movements back and forth across a curved ironing supporting means thereby ironing and pressing wearing apparel placed between the sole plate and the curved ironing supporting means.

Another object of the invention is the design and construction of an ironing and pressing appliance having a single manual controlled handle for swinging the sole plate back and forth and for lifting the sole plate when the handle is lifted up and for applying additional pressure on the material being ironed over and above the pressure applied by the weight of the sole plate itself by merely pressing down on the manual controlled handle. The construction of the levered handle is such that it forms a lever of the second class, the arrangement being such that the exertion of only 1 pound of pressure on the handle applies approximately pounds of pressure on the sole plate.

Another object of the invention is the design and construction of an ironing and pressing appliance that makes it possible to press pants, suits, dreses and fine lingerie equally as well as is done professionally in commercial establishments.

Another object of the invention is the design and construction of an ironing and pressing appliance which shall be small, light in weight and one that requires less room than the conventional ironing board now used in the home.

The various features of novelty whereby my invention is characterized will hereinafter be pointed out with particularity in the claims; but for a full understanding of the invention and of its various objects and advantages, including those just enumerated, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

Referring to the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an end elevation of the invention showing the pivoted sole plate in three ditferent positions.

FIG. 2 is a front elevation showing the extension ironing board in its extended position.

FIG. 3 is the top plan view of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a top plan partly in section taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view on line 55 of FIG. '1.

FIG. 6 is a section taken on line 6-6 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 7 is a section taken on line 7-7 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged sectional view of the tapered nipple located on the bottom of the Water tank and shows how it appears when it is placed in position above the tapered inlet mounted above the steam chamber.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of the dial for setting the heat control for ironing various fabrics.

FIG. 10 is a top plan View of the bimetal switch assembly.

FIG. 11 is a side elevation view of the bimetal switch assembly.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view of line 12-12 of FIG. 2.

Parts 1 and 2 are tubular supports which extend from the floor upwardly and welded on their top ends to the horizontal tube 3.

Part 4 is a tubular support which extends from the floor up to and are Welded to a horizontal tube 6. The other end of tube 6 is welded to tube 2.

.Part 5 is another tubular support which extends from the floor upwardly and is welded to a horizontal tube 7. The opposite end of tube 7 is welded to tube 1. Welded to and extending up from tubes 6 and 7 are tubes 8 and 9. Across the top of and welded on each end to tubes 8 and 9 is a bracket 10.

Mounted above and secured to bracket 10 and across tube 3 is a curved ironing board or ironing pad supporting means 11. The surface of the ironing board 11 is longitudinally extending and transversely, convexly arcuate as best shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. Fastened to part 11 is an ironing pad 12 made of any flexible material and mounted above the pad is an ironing pad cover 13 also made of any suitable material.

Adjacent to the bottom of and connecting tubes 1 and 2 and welded thereto is horizontal tube 14. Adjacent to the bottom of and connecting tubes 4 and 5 and welded thereto is a horizontal tube 15. A tubular support 16 extends between and is welded on each end to the tubes 6 and 7.

Mounted centrally on and above the tube 16 is a hearing 17. Mounted centrally and above tube 14 and in perfect alignment with bearing 17 is another bearing 18 mounted on the tube 14. Journaled in bearings 17 and 18 is a hollow tubular shaft 19 on one end of which is welded a short tubular support 20. Welded to one end of support 20 and extending directly upward is a tube 21. Welded on the other end of the support 20 and also extending upwardly is another tube 22. Centrally between the tubes 21 and 22 and welded on each of its ends to tubes 21 and 22 is a support 23. For a rigid construction, a tubular brace 24 is Welded on one end to the end of shaft 19 the opposite end of brace 24 is welded to the support 23. Welded to the tops of and at a degree angle to the tubes 21 and 22 are sole plate supporting arm-s 25 and 26. Across the two arms 25 and 26 are secured two brackets 27 and 28 by screws 29 and 30. A sole plate cover 31 has slots 32 and 33 cut therein from which protrude the top portions of brackets 27 and 28. The bearings 17 and 18 are at the center of curvature of the transversely arcuate surface of the ironing board.

Mounted centrally on top of the sole plate cover 31 is a U shaped bracket 35. One side of the U shaped bracket 35 is pivotally connected by arm 34 to bracket 28 by pin 36. The arm 34 is also pivotally connected by pin 37 to bracket 35. The other side of bracket 35 is also pivotally connected by an arm 38 to bracket 27 by the pin 36 and the arm 38 is also pivotally connected ace gees to bracket by pin 37. On the extreme forward ends and between the arms 34 and 38 and secured by a screw 39 is a round plastic handle 40. Mounted on the bottom of cover 31 is a cast aluminum sole plate 41 which is secured to the cover 31 by screws all numbered 42. It can be readily seen how lifting the handle 40 will in turn lift the cover 31 and sole plate 41 through the mechanism described above. More pressure is also exerted on the sole plate 41 when the handle 4% is pressed downwardly through the increased leverage of the above described linkage. Mounted on the bottom oftubes 1, 2, 4 and 5 are rubber feet all numbered 43.

Cast integral in the sole plate 41 is a steam chamber 44 that extends almost to the full length of the sole plate 41. A long narrow plate 45 is secured to the top of chamber 44 by screws 46. This seals the steam chamher and permits the steam generated therein to escape only through the holes 48 on the bottom of the front end of the sole plate. The steam chamber is divided in two sections by the wall 49 which extends the full length of the chamber 41 but it extends only high enough to permit a small opening between it and the sealing plate' 45. Thus the water dripping in the rear portion of the chamber 44 must first be generated into steam before it can rise over the wall 49 and then forced by low steam pressure through the holes all numbered 48 in th sole plate 41.

The water tank 50 is removable so that when dry ironing is desired it can be removed from the top of cover 31. The water tank 50 is constructed with two separate drawn sheet metal stampings 51 and 52. The metal stamping 52 has a ring 53 formed at its bottom edge. The top of stamping 51 has also a ring 54 formed at its top edge. The ring 53 is formed large enough to permit the ring 54 to be pressed therein where it is crimped together into a water tight seal. Centrally within the water container 50 is a hollow tube 55 which extends through the top and bottom of stampings 51 and 52. The ends of tube 55 numbered as 57 and 56 are rolled over to form a water tight assembly. The tank assembly 50 is secured to the top of the sole plate cover 31 by a knurled screw 58 which extends through the tube 55 and screws into a threaded boss 59 drawn in cover 31.

On the bottom of the stamping 51 is formed two convex shaped knobs 6i and 61. Directly below the knobs 60 and 61 are two concave shaped impressions 62 and 63 formed on the top of sol plate cover 31 just large enough to nest the knobs 60 and 61. On the bottom of the front end of the stamping 51 is a tapered nozzle 64 that is riveted thereto. The nozzle 64 has a tapered hole on the bottom side which is closed by a ball 65. A spring 66 is tensioned above and between the ball and a washer 67 that is pressed within the top of the hollow nozzle 64. The ball 65 closes the outlet of nozzle 64 when the tank assembly 50 is removed from the sole plate cover 31 which prevents water from dripping out after its removal from the sole plate cover 31. Riveted tothe top of plate 45 is a long tubular connector 47. The top of part 47 has a tapered hole which will accommodate the tapered nozzle 64 and permit a water tight connection. Just below the tapered hole of connector 47 is a straight hole portion and pressed therein is a bushing 68. The bushing 6% has two small holes 69 and 70 drilled through and apart from the center of the bushing 68. The bottom portion of bushing 68 has a large hole 71 drilled approximately /3 of its length which is high enough to clear the openings of the two holes 69 and 70.

When the water tank assembly 50 is placed in position above the sole plate cover 31, the knobs 60 and 61 will rest in the concave impressions 62 and 63 on the sole plate cover 31 and the tapered nozzle 64 will rest in the connector 47 and then the knurled screw 58 will be screwed tightly into the boss 59 on the sole plate cover 31. The center of the top portion of the bushing 68 will then engage the ball 65 and lift it upwardly against the tension of the spring 66 and allow the ball 65 to move up and clear the opening at the bottom of nozzle 64 and permit water to flow downwardly by gravity into the steam chamber 44. Riveted on the the top of the front end of stamping 52 is a hollow tubular neck 72 having internal threads in its top portion. A plastic cover 73 having external threads screw into the neck :72. The cover '73 has numerous small holes all numbered 74 on the drawings which permits the tank assembly 5th to be used as a sprinkler when it is turned up side down.

A tubular enclosed heating element 75 is cast into or wvelded across almost the full length of the top of the central portion of the sole plate 41.

To control and maintain the temperature of the sole plate 41 by the element 75, I provide a standard form of bimetal switch assembly 76. The bimetal blade 77 is slotted on one end and has insulation 90 secured on the exposed edge of the bimetal strip 77. Switch blades 78 and 79 are mounted between insulating washers 79, 80 and 81. Switch blade 79 has a terminal 82 connected thereto and switch blade 73 has a terminal 83 connected thereto. Switch blade 79 has a contact 84 welded on its top end and switch blade 78 has a contact welded on its bottom end. A bracket 86 is fastened to the top portion of the switch assembly. The bracket 86 has secured on one end a threaded bushing 87. A threaded stem 33 screws into the bushing 87. On the bottom end of the stem 88 is secured a porcelain insulator 89 that engages the top portion of switch blade 78 and pushes it down until the contacts 34 and are engaged far enough to permit the sole plate 41 to be heated to the preselected temperature. The switch blade 79 is separated from the blade 78 by the bimetal strip 77 by engaging an ear 91 that is formed on the end of blade 79. The switch assembly 76 is secured to the sole plate 41 by screw 94. The stem 88 extends up through the sole plate cover 31 and a handle 92 is secured to the top of the stem 88. Mounted on top of sole plate cover 31 and below the handle 92 is the temperature indicating plate 93; by turning the handle 92 any temperature desired may be obtained for ironing various fabrics.

So that long garments such as pants, dresses etc. can be ironed without them touching the floor I provide an extension board 94 which is secured to arms 95 and 96. The arm 95 is pivoted on one end to the top of tube 9 by screw 97. The arm 96 is pivoted on one end to the top of tube 8 by screw 98. Across the center portion of arms 95 and 96 is rod 99 that is fastened on one end to arm 95 by a screw 101 the opposite end of rod 99 is fastened to arm 96 by screw 160*. When the board 94 is swung up it is held in its upward position by a latch 102 which engages the bottom of cross rod 99. The top of latch 14 2 is pivoted to the bottom of ironing board assembly 1 1 by pin 103'. To lower the extension board 94, latch 102 is moved out of contact with cross rod 99 which permits the board 94 to drop below the ironing board 11.

The cord and plug 104 is wound around bracket 105 which is secured to tube 9 by screws 106 and 107 when the ironing appliance is not in use. The cord 104 extends through the front end of shaft 19 and then up through hollow tubular bracket 24 and out of the end of tube 24 and up into the sole plate 41. The short lead from the cord 194 is fastened to the connector 168 that is welded to one circuit of the heating element 75. The long lead of the cord 75 goes through a slot 169 and extends through and out the end of tube 26 where it is secured to connector 83 on bimetal switch assembly 76. The connector 82 is fastened to a bus bar 110 on one end. The opposite end of bus bar 110 is secured to the connector 111 that is welded to one end of the heating element 75.

The front stop bracket 1-12 is secured to tube 22 by screws 113 and 114 which tube engages the back side of tube 1 at the end of the forward travel of the sole plate 41. The rear stop bracket 1 15 is spaced from tube 2 by hollow bushings 116 and 117 and is secured to the tube by screws 118 and 119. The stop bracket 115 engages the cross tube 24 at the end of the rearward travel of the sole plate 41.

For additional rigidity a short hollow tube 120 is Welded at each end to tubes 21 and 22. An L shaped cover bracket 121 is fastened to the tube 120 by screws 122.

The operation of my ironing and pressing appliance is as follows: the cord 104 is plugged into any convenient outlet. The temperature is set by turning knob 92 to the type of fabric to be ironed. If necessary, the extension board 94 is lifted up where it will automatically be locked by latch 102. The handle 40 is pushed forward as far as it will go. This will bring the sole plate 41 back far enough to clear the curved ironing board 11. The fabric to be ironed is then spread across the top of the curved ironing cover 13 which is supported by the curved ironing board 11. The handle 40 is lifted up and then it is pulled forward until it is directly above the fabric to be ironed. The handle is then pushed downwardly and the sole plate 41 will then press against the fabric and simultaneously the handle 40 is swung back and forth until the garment is completely ironed. When the fabric has been ironed the handle 40 is pushed forward again to clear the board 11 and if the fabric is large it is moved over to another unironed portion and the above cycle of operation is repeated.

When steam ironing is desired the knob 92 is turned to steam. The tank assembly 50 is filled with a cup of water. The tank 50 is then placed on sole plate cover 31 so that the convex knobs 60 and 61 on the bottom of the tank 50 will fit into the concave impressions 62 and 63 on the sole plate cover 31 and the nozzle 64 on the bottom of the tank 50 will fit into the connector 47 and then the knurled screw is turned until it screws into the boss 59 on the sole plate cover 31. Water will then drip slowly into the steam chamber where it will rise upwardly and under low pressure he forced to the steam outlets on the bottom of the front end of the sole plate. The manual operation of ironing is the same as for dry ironing.

Pants and suits can be pressed by merely placing the garment on the pad and then placing a damp pressing cloth over the top of the garment and then bringing the sole plate 41 over the top of the damp cloth and then simultaneously pressing down on the handle 40 and swinging it back and forth until the pressing cloth has become almost dry. To dampen the pressing cloth the water tank assembly 50 can be used by turning it up side down and sprinkling the pressing cloth by water coming out of the perforated cover 73.

After ironing, the water tank 50 should be emptied of water. The cord 104 is then wrapped around bracket 105. The extension board 94 is dropped under the board 11 by manually releasing the latch 102 and the appliance is now ready to be stored until needed again.

It is thought that the invention and its attendant advantages Will be understood from the foregoing description and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangements of parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing any of its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim:

1. In an ironing and pressing appliance, an ironing board having a longitudinally extending transversely convex arcuate ironing surface, said surface having a center of curvature some distance below the ironing board, a sole plate supporting frame pivoted on the center of curvature of said ironing surface, sole plate supporting arms extending substantially parallel to said ironing surface, a sole plate freely mounted on said arms and cooperating with said ironing surface and having a corresponding longitudinally extending concave arcuate surface parallel to said convex arcuate surface, said sole plate being movable to and fro in an arc concentric with the ironing surface and being adapted to press articles interposed between the ironing surface and said sole plate, a cover for said sole plate, bracket means mounted on said sole plate supporting arms and extending through said sole plate cover, a handle pivoted on said bracket means and connected to said sole plate to raise and lower same, said handle being also operable to move said sole plate to and fro in said aforementioned are.

2. In an ironing and pressing appliance, a relatively wide stationary ironing board having a longitudinally extending transversely convex arcuate ironing surface, with its center of curvature located a considerable distance below said surface, a relatively narrow electrically heated sole plate having a concave longitudinally extending transversely concave surface parallel to said ironing surface and pivotally mounted on the center of curvature of said ironing surface for to and fro movement to press articles interposed between said surface and said sole plate, supporting arms extending longitudinally of said ironing surface and parallel to the longitudinal axis thereof, and freely supporting said sole plate, a handle pivotally connected to said sole plate and to said arms for varying the pressure of said sole plate on said ironing surface and also movable to pivot said sole plate about the center of curvature of said ironing surface.

3. In a manually operated ironing appliance for household use, a longitudinally extending transversely convex ironing board, a supporting frame connected to said ironing board and having a base for supporting same on a floor, bearings mounted on said supporting frame, a shaft journaled in said bearings and extending to a point below and beyond one end of said ironing board, supporting means connected to and extending substantially vertically from said shaft, a sole plate, supporting arm means for said sole plate extending normal to said supporting means and having a cross bar secured thereto, a lever pivotally mounted on said cross bar, a hand 0perated handle on said lever, said sole plate having a longitudinally extending transversely arcuate surface which is the same curvature as said ironing board and pivoted on said lever between said handle and said cross bar, said handle being manually operable to move said sole plate to and fro across said ironing board in an arcuate path concentric with the curvature of said ironing board and also to lift said sole plate from said ironing surface and to move said sole plate in said arcuate path away from engagement with said ironing surface.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 54,543 Hermann May 8, 1866 444,722 Binder Jan. 13, 1891 624,755 Cress May 9, 1899 900,623 Walker Oct. 6, 1908 1,788,530 Ledbetter Jan. 13, 1931 2,036,415 Kaimowitz Apr. 7, 1936 2,146,270 Ritter Feb. 7, 1939 2,197,613 Goldstein Apr. 16, 1940 2,241,539 Castricone May 13, 1941 2,396,164 Dyer Mar. 5, 1946 2,400,638 Gayring May 21, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS 809,402 Great Britain Feb. 25, 1959 

1. IN AN IRONING AND PRESSING APPLIANCE, AN IRONING BOARD HAVING A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY CONVEX ARCUATE IRONING SURFACE, SAID SURFACE HAVING A CENTER OF CURVATURE SOME DISTANCE BELOW THE IRONING BOARD, A SOLE PLATE SUPPORTING FRAME PIVOTED ON THE CENTER OF CURVATURE OF SAID IRONING SURFACE, SOLE PLATE SUPPORTING ARMS EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO SAID IRONING SURFACE, A SOLE PLATE FREELY MOUNTED ON SAID ARMS AND COOPERATING WITH SAID IRONING SURFACE AND HAVING A CORRESPONDING LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING CONCAVE ARCUATE SURFACE PARALLEL TO SAID CONVEX ARCUATE SURFACE, SAID SOLE PLATE BEING MOVABLE TO AND FRO IN AN ARC CONCENTRIC WITH THE IRONING SURFACE AND BEING ADAPTED TO PRESS ARTICLES INTERPOSED BETWEEN THE IRONING SURFACE AND SAID SOLE PLATE, A COVER FOR 